Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XII. Signal and commissariat service
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
140 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
the siege, there is one branch of the service which
I have not, so far, had an opportunity of mention-
ing, but which, being of the greatest importance
to the well-being of the army, deserves a few
words of explanation—I mean the commissariat
and transport service. The Japanese are in this
respect better off than most other armies, the
staple food of the soldiers being rice, which is
easy to pack and handle, and which contains but
little water in comparison with other food stuffs,
whereby the transport of much superfluous weight
is avoided.
It is, however, a mistake to think, as many do,
that the Japanese soldiers live practically exclu-
sively on rice. They do in times of peace, but
during a campaign they are better fed ;
their daily
rations consist of 2 lbs. of rice, ^ lb. of wheat,
I lb. of fresh vegetables, and 4 oz. of tinned pro-
visions (meat, pickles, or vegetables). The
canned meat is very good, packed in handy little
tins, holding one day’s provisions ;
the fresh
vegetables consist mostly of Chinese cabbages,
with also, in the summer, turnips, radishes,
and cucumbers. In addition to this the soldiers
receive every other day ^ lb. of fresh meat, and,
twice weekly, sake, cigarettes, sweet cakes, sugar,
and tea are served out to them.
Their daily pay is 6 sen which they
generally spend in cigarettes, getting ten for their
6 sen. The emergency rations consist of canned
meat and some very excellent biscuits.
The Japanese troops are well clad. In summer
time they wear khaki uniforms of nearly the same
fabric as in use in the British army ;
woollen
socks, strong lace-up boots, and khaki or white
duck leggings, or, in some cases lately, putties.
During the winter months they wear dark blue
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
